Michał Wołodyjowski

The duel with Kmicic

Wołodyjowski confronts Andrzej Kmicic after Oleńka's abduction. He demonstrates his superior fencing: Kmicic cannot break through his defence, and the fight ends with Kmicic seriously wounded. Chapter VII of the first volume gives the complete scene in its literary context¹.

An officer faced with the hetman's decision

At Kiejdany, Wołodyjowski joins the officers who refuse Janusz Radziwiłł's turn towards Sweden. He is imprisoned with the Skrzetuskis and Zagłoba. Their subsequent story connects with Zagłoba's trick during the escort to Birże².

This is important background to Kmicic's story. His former opponent is among the people with whom he must rebuild his relationship. Reading the two episodes together shows how the narrative moves from a personal quarrel to conflicting loyalties towards the hetman and the Commonwealth. This is an interpretation of the plot, rather than a claim about an actual officer.

Wołodyjowski on screen

Tadeusz Łomnicki plays the role in the 1974 film³. His cast profile links to material about the actor and the screen duel. This page concerns the literary character: actions assigned to him in the novel do not establish what happened historically.